My 3 Favorite Streaming Services for life in Japan

I don’t have a lot of time to watch TV these days, but I still like to have options available other than your standard Japanese channels. One of the good things about being in Japan is that fast internet connection is significantly cheaper than it is in the States, meaning that online streaming services can supplement your channel options. Still, your favorite streaming services may have some big restrictions based on region, so allow me to explain a bit about my top three streaming services for life here in Japan.

Netflix:

Your Netflix account will automatically change your viewing options based on your IP address, so that means you’ll get certain programming in Japan that you wouldn’t get in the States/elsewhere and vice versa. I’ve found that here in Japan, you can get a lot more Netflix original content for longer (for example, all seasons and episodes of the TV show “The Good Place” are available on Netflix Japan, while it is currently restricted on Netflix US). The other challenge is that you lose a lot of subtitles options that might otherwise be available, especially for Japanese content. Still, Netflix is a go-to choice, especially for its quality original movies and TV shows.

Amazon Instant Video:

I have both an American and Japanese Amazon account, but I choose to use my American account for Instant Video. The good news is that I still have unfettered access to all of the content I’ve purchased over the years even here in Japan. The bad news is that I don’t have any access to Amazon Prime video. If I were to swap to my Amazon JP account, I would get Prime, but I couldn’t watch all of my purchased content from Amazon US. So I decided to cancel my US Prime account and stick with Japan Prime. If I really wanted to, I could swap between the accounts whenever I wanted to watch my purchased content or Prime Content.

NHK World:

Don’t expect any quality fictional programming here, but NHK does produce some grear content for those looking for easy, often educational viewing. NHK Newsline is an hourly news broadcast that gives the headlines and some brief commentary—just enough to keep you abreast of events in Japan and across the globe. Grand Sumo Highlights is great for folks like me who enjoy sumo but don’t want to sit through the hours-long live broadcasts. There are also shows that get you more acquainted with Japan, teaching you about travel destinations, Japanese crafts, and the country’s history. Like I said, this isn’t the streaming service for riveting drama or riotous comedy, but it’s a go-to for consistent, informative, and family-friendly programming.

A note on Hulu: if you have an American Hulu account, you won’t be able to watch hardly anything.  You’ll need to get a Japanese Hulu account, and I can’t vouch for the type of content that will be available to you there.